Is CVE-2026-85288 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-85288 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-85288?

Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.7, published 22 September 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Notepad++ Notepad++ prior to 8.9.8.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85288?

A patch was published on 2026-08-23. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-85288 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in a web application.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-85288?

Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-85288: Notepad++ HMAC validation bypass in macro execution

CVE-2026-85288 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.7 · Published 2026-09-22

Notepad++ is a text editor used for code development that includes a macro feature to automate repetitive tasks. Prior to version 8.9.8, the application failed to properly validate macro files in the "Run a Macro Multiple Times" dialog, allowing a user with access to modify the configuration to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the current user. An attacker who gains access to a user's configuration files could use this to execute malicious programs.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-85288 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-85288 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-85288?: Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.7, published 22 September 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Notepad++ Notepad++ prior to 8.9.8.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85288?: A patch was published on 2026-08-23. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-85288 attacked?: It is attacked with local access, in a web application.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-85288?: Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

The vulnerability is an HMAC validation bypass in the shortcuts.xml macro file handler. The WM_MACRODLGRUNMACRO entry point (Run a Macro Multiple Times dialog) calls macroPlayback() without performing the HMAC validation checks that are applied by the command() function, allowing tampered macros blocked through normal menu/shortcut execution paths to run through the multi-run dialog. An attacker who can modify shortcuts.xml can invoke internal Notepad++ commands that launch external programs.

Affected products

Notepad++ Notepad++ prior to 8.9.8

Timeline

2026-09-22: disclosed
2026-08-23: patched

References

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